NEW DELHI: Domestic passenger car sales witnessed a turnaround in November after four consecutive months of contraction, rising by 7 per cent on the back of a marginal revival in demand, coupled with a low base.

According to figures released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) on Thursday, domestic passenger car sales stood at 1,71,131 units in November, as against 1,59,939 units in the same month last year.

"Domestic car sales have bounced back as the base in November last year was low. Also, we have seen some revival of demand in last month," SIAM senior director Sugato Sen told reporters here.

However, sales in December are likely to be lower than in November, he said.

"The entry-level car segment, which is the biggest contributor to sales, has been hit most because of fuel hikes and rising interest rates. This is the most sensitive segment. However, demand in the upper-end segment is comparatively doing well," Sen said.

Car sales in India have been declining on a year-on-year basis since July, mainly due to the severe impact of labour issues on the country's largest car-manufacturer Maruti Suzuki India's (MSI) production.

Sales registered their steepest monthly decline in nearly 11 years in October this year, tanking by 23.77 per cent on account of a huge drop in MSI's output due to labour trouble, coupled with high interest rates and fuel prices.

MSI's domestic sales declined in November as well, dipping by 16.59 per cent to 73,078 units from 87,618 units in the same month last year, SIAM said.

However, the strong performance of other manufacturers made up for the slippage in MSI sales in November. Rival Hyundai Motor India posted a 10.72 per cent growth in sales to 34,878 units in November, 2011, from 31,501 units in the same period last year.

Tata Motors also reported a jump in sales to 23,540 units from 12,234 units in the same period last year, translating into a 92.41 per cent increase, SIAM added.

As per the figures released by SIAM, motorcycle sales in India grew by 22.67 per cent in November to 8,69,070 units from 7,08,476 units in the corresponding month last year.

Market leader Hero MotoCorp's domestic sales increased by 27.02 per cent to 4,85,381 units last month from 3,82,138 units in the same period last year.

In addition, Bajaj Auto saw a 18.24 per cent rise in sales to 2,28,407 units from 1,93,174 units in the same period last year, as per the latest SIAM data.

However, TVS Motor Company posted a 10.45 per cent fall in sales to 44,359 units last month from 49,534 units in the same month of 2010. Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India's (HMSI) sales went up by 40.94 per cent to 72,120 units during the month under review from 51,171 units in November, 2010.